In the field of vehicle simulation, there exists a requirement to provide a person using the simulator with a view of a landscape, in order to convey to him a number of important items of visual data. The most important amongst these are the vehicle's attitude its spatial relationship with certain defined objects of the landscape and its rate of movement with respect to these objects.
Many systems have been developed to generate such views, utilising mainly film systems, or television systems scanning a physical model. The former normally involves very complex optical methods for modifying the film image in response to changes in the simulator controls causing changes in the observer's position, whilst the latter normally utilises a television camera travelling over a miniature model landscape; the position of the camera being controlled by the simulator signals. Both these systems are complex and expensive.